Grass-catching receptacle.



PATENTED APR.16, 1907.

L. BROWN.

GRASS GATGHING REGEPTAGLE.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.31, 1906.

1n: mwms PETERS ca. WASHINGTON, n, c.

UNITED 'STATES FATEN T OFFICE.

LEVI BROWN, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO F. & N. LAWN MOWER COMPANY, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, A CORPORATION.

GRASS-CATCHING RECEPTACLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed December 31, 1906. Serial No. 350,274.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVI BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Richmond, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements-in Grass-Catching Receptacles, of which the following is. a full and accurate specification, being such as will enable others skilled in the art to which my invention relates to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to a grasscatcher intended for attachment to a lawnmowing machine and the object of my present invention, broadly stated, is to provide a grass-catching receptacle which will be strong and durable in construction, easily operated and controlled, which will not be in the way of the operation of the machine to which it is attached, which may be stored in a small compass of space, and which may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low price.

More specifically speaking, my object is to provide a grass-catching receptacle which will be simple in construction, easily attached to and detached from a lawn-mower, and which may be used in connection with lawnmowers of various widths, sizes, styles, or makes without the necessity of changing the construction or the dimensions of the inventionthat is to say, a single width of my in vention may be readily employed in connection with lawn-mowers of various widths.

Other objects and particular advantages of my invention will be made apparent in the course of the ensuing description'and also by reference to the drawings forming a part of this specification.

The construction and the manner of the attachment of my invention is shown most clearly in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of my invention complete and as attached to a lawn-mower. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the metal framework of the invention, and Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the retaininghooks.

Similar indicia denote like parts throughout the several views.

The construction, operation, and the manner of attachment and detachment of the invention with reference to a lawn-mower I will now set forth in detail as comprehensively as I may, and the essential parts of my invention will be designated .by numerals, while the parts of a lawn-mower shown for the purpose of illustrating the attachment and operation of the invention therewith will be designated by letters.

The letter A designates the body of a lawnmower. Extending back from each side of the lawn-mower casing are the usual arms B and C, having approximately vertical slots as shown therethrough. The letters D and E denote the bolts for said slots, which bolts are employed for adjustably securing the hangers for the ground-roller F.

The numerals 1 and 2 designate two L- shaped hooks, which are identical with each other and are preferably formed of sheetsteel or the like. Each of said hooks is provided with an eye at the terminal of its shorter portion, as shown in Fig. 3. Said hooks are to be permanently attached in position, as shown in Fig. 1, by the respective bolts D and E, whereby they are secured to the sides of the respective arms B and C, from which they extend rearward and thence upward, substantially as shown.

The receptacle proper comprises a sheetmetal bottom 3 of oblong or square shape. The sides and rear edges of said bottom are turned back upon themselves, forming folds or chimes (designated by the numerals-6, 7, and 8,) which serve to stiffen the bottom,

forming a frame-like finish, and they are alsofor another purpose which will presently be referred to. The front edge of said bottom is turned or coiledupon itself around the horizontal rod or wire 4, whereby said rod may be turned therein, this wire or rod 4 being shown at the broken-away portion of the bottom in Fig. 2. Said coiled portion of the bottom is indicated by numeral 5.

The end portions of the rod 4 are bent at right angles thereto, forming the two upwardly-extendin arms 9 and 10, which arms are identical with each other, and on their upper ends are formed coils 11 and 12, respectively, from whence they extend downwardly, forming the adjustable arms 13 and 14, respectively. The adjustable arms above mentioned are of somewhat less length than are the arms 9 and 10, and at their terminals are formed eyes 15 and 16, which latter are bent out at right angles to their respective arms 13 and 14.

It should be understood that the members 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 are formed of an integral length of rod or wire, and the coils 11 and 12 are such as to form springs whereby the eyes 15 and 16 may be moved laterally, as is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The upper frame of the invention consists of the rear member 17 and the two side members 18 and 19, all of which are formed of an integral length of rod or wire, the members 18 and 19 being bent forward parallel with each other and at right angles to the member 17. Said upper frame is of substantially the same width and of slightly greater length than is the bottom 3, above referred to. On the forward ends of the members 18 and 19 is formed closed hooks or eyes 20 and 21, which are interlocked with the coils 11 and 12, respectively, thereby hinging the upper frame substantially as indicated.

Numeral 22 denotes the back, and numerals 23 and 24 denote the sides formed of an integral piece of textile fabric or the like having its forward ends doubled about the arms 9 and 10 and secured by sewing or by rivets or by buttons, as indicated by numerals 25 26 and 27 28 in Fig. 1. The upper edges of the fabric members 22, 23, and 24 are doubled over the rods 17, 18, and 19 and are secured, preferably, by sewing substantially as indicated in Fig. 1. The lower edges of the fabric members 22, 23, and 24 are secured in the folds of the chimes 8, 6, and 7, respectively, in any well-known manner, but preferably by folding the edges of the fabric in with the metal when the metal is being folded to form said chimes. The u per edges of the fabric members 23 and'24 s iould be cut on an angle, whereby the height of the receptacle at the rear is greater than at the front, substantially as indicated in the drawings.

The numeral 29 designates a link having an eye 30, formed on its lower end, which encircles the center of the member 17 and on the upper end of said link is formed the eye 31. The numeral 32 denotes a hook which projects down from the handle G of the lawnmower, with which hook said eye 31 may be detachably engaged.

The operation of my invention is extremely simpleas, for instance, the hooks 1 and 2 may be permanently and detachably secured as stated, and also the hook 32 may be permanent, the placing of said three parts being all that is necessary to equip a lawn-mower for my invention. It will now be notably apparent that by grasping the two arms 13 and 14 with the hands they may be spaced the requisite distance apart and then lowered to allow the upper projecting portions of the hooks 1 and 2 to pass through the respective eyes 15 and 16, after which the eye 31 of the link is attached to the hook 32 and the de vice is ready for operation, whereby as the lawn-mower is moved forward the device receives the clippings from the blades of the mower, and when the receptacle is full it has onl to be lifted up and moved rearward, which will detach it from the mower, where by it may be emptied of its contents and replaced, as before. When not desired to be used, it will be seen that the invention may be folded flatthat is, the arms 9 and 10 may be turned back, whereby they, together with the side members 18 and 19, will lie on the bottom 3, thereby occupying a minimum space for storage or transportation.

Having now fully shown and described my invention and the best manner for its construction to me known at this time, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In combination with a lawn-mower, a grass-catching receptacle comprising a sheetmetal bottom, arms extending up from the forward corners of the bottom and then extending downward forming resilient'arms, coils integral with and connecting the upper portions of each pair of said arms, eyes formed on the, lower ends of said resilient arms andturned out at right angles thereto, hooks secured to the lawn-mower to pass through said eyes, a frame formed of integral length of wire-rod extending rearward from and'pivoted in said coils, a fabric uniting said frame and bottom on two sides and the rear, and a link pivoted to the rear portion of said frame with means for connecting the link to the lawn-mower handle, all substantially as shown and described and for the purposes set forth. p

2. In combination with a lawn-mower, the hooks 1 and 2 extending back and upward therefrom, a receptacle comprising a sheetmetal bottom, an upper frame, arms extending upward and pivoted in the front portion of said bottom, spring-arms extending downward from theupper portion of the first named arms and having eyes to engage with said hooks, a fabric covering the sides and the rear of the receptacle and attached to said bottom and to said upper frame, a link extending up from said upper frame, and means for detachably connecting said link to the lawn-mower handle, all substantially as shown and described and for the purposes set forth. I

3. A grass-catcher having its sides and rear formed of fabric, a metal bottom, an upper frame, arms extending upward from the forward corners of the bottom, means for connecting said fabric to the upper frame, the metal bottom, and to said arms, coils formed integral with the upper portions of said arms,

resilient arms depending from said coils and formed integral therewith, eyes formed to extend out at right angles from the lower ends of said resilient arms, a lawn-mower, hooks attached to the lawn-mower for engagement with said eyes, and means for suspending the rear of the receptacle from the lawn-mower handle, all substantially as shown and described.

4. In combination with a lawn-mower, a pair of L-shaped hooks spaced apart and se cured to the rear portion of the lawn-mower,

"a grass-catching receptacle comprising a sheet-metal bottom for the receptacle, a rod 4 around which the front portion of the bottom is coiled, the arms 9 and 10 formed by bending said rod upward at its end portions at right angles thereto, coils terminating the upper portions of said arms and integral therewith, depending arms extending down 'rom said coils and integral therewith, an eye formed on the lower portion of each of said depending arms and integral therewith and extending out at right angles thereto to receive said hooks, an upper frame formed of a 20 receptacle by the lawn-mower handle, all

substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

LEVI BROWN.

Witnesses:

G. M. PIPER, ROBERT W. HANDLE. 

